Tree Chopper Charged

Tree Chopper Charged

JULY 5--The man responsible for a brutal ax murder last month on a Brooklyn sidewalk has cut a plea deal, according to court records.

Francisco Marxuach, 25, was arrested days after a surveillance camera captured him using an ax to chop down a 20-foot gingko tree located in front of the East 8th Street apartment building where he once lived with his family. As seen in the above video, the tree toppled over after Marxuach struck it 53 times over a five-minute span.

Charged with criminal mischief for the tree assault, Marxuach, pictured at right, cut a Criminal Court plea deal that will result in the dismissal of the misdemeanor case in six months as long as he stays out of trouble.

In a phone interview, Marxuach said his main motive for the attack was to retaliate against a resident of the building who had frequently been “very disrespectful” to him. “I just got tired of it and decided to cut down the tree,” said Marxuach, who added that he found the ax near garbage cans at the side of the building.

Despite the assuredness of his strokes, Marxuach said he had never previously chopped down a tree. (2 pages)